The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1887-02-24

AMERICANS a NERVOUS PEOPLE.
Causes Which Account for Such Con-
dition of Things--Our Pleasures.

Causes which Account for Such "a Con-
dition of Things--Our Pleasures.
Disguise it as we may, the conviction Is
forced upon us that we are a nervous people.
There are many causes which may accouhI
for this The constant change OF clrcum-
stances. individual responsibility and lrregu-
lar climate conditions are no doubt largely
responsible for this condition OF things be
sides this, the political atmosphere OF our
Government is constantly changing. In lands
Ivharn the tvrant flaunts in purple, where
constitutions are never altered or amended,
where the traditions bequeathed from sire to
son dominate all aspirations for a newer and
better order of things, there is not much OPP
rort1Initv for the display Of any qualities ex-
cent those negative ones that sap the springs
of national life and make mems spirits rest in
idleness But here, where every man, so to
speak, is q law unto himself, where old forms
are constantly changing, giving place to the
new. and where allegiance to parties IS not
permitted to interfere with the recognized
necessity for fresh methods of government,
the pace Is one which often tells and becomes
noticeable. not in a deterioration Of power.
but in a waste of those vital energies which
make the exercise of that power continuous
Another trouble with Us is that, as the cele-
brated English wit said of bis cOuntrymen,
they took their pleasures sadly, so we take
our work seriously; especially when we are
dealing with little things we put such heavy
load III our spiritual guns that when we nre
them off we are injured by the recoL We
would aim a cannon at a mark which Is only
worthy of pistol shot.
The truth Of the prOverb that the child Is
father to the man is seen in this connection
every day. The African baby has about 1t a
preternaturaI solemnity and looks at every
The
lean baby, on the other hand, is vociferOus in
all its expressions of joy and sorrow. 1t cries
more vigorously than any other; it breaks its
toys with more enthusiast; it kicks against
actual and ideal pricks more strenuOusly; and
when the man usurps its place he follows the
same fashion with adult toys. On the stock
exchange he worries because he sold out too
soon or too late; in the store he frets because
the price of merchandise has been affected by
some political struggle; in the pulpit he chafeS
because his sermons are not so good as those
that he preached last year; in the study he IS
worried because some other author has caught
the breeze of popular favor.
And in this constant waste of nervous force
the man is largely aided because of the char
acter of his country. 1t Is big with resources,
and he is careless not only OF health but OF
money He does not learn by experience, as
men would in some quiet and easy going com
monwealth. The failure of to-day, instead of
giving him caution, only inspires him to the
performance of some greater deed. And so
he draws on his reserve power, until at last,
when his mental notes have gone to protest
and he is forced to sit down and check bis
balances, it is too late to retrace his steps, and
he falls into physical and spiritual bank
ruptcy Not alone are men guilty of this; SO
are women. They string themselves up to
concert pitch; they are superlative in every
thing; they exaggerate trifes; their streams
are raging torrents; their moiehills are noun
tains, ard they age and wither before their
time. The recklessness with which ell tread
! the paths of modern life is seen every day; it
! blights the fairest hopes, it casts shadow on
the brightes landscape; and unless wisdom
/ and moderation come to the rescue it IS GER
tain to end in sorrow.-Philadelph Record